Allahabad Archive

This year’s second year design studio is exploring the architecture of the Tier 2 Indian city. In the obsession for the metropolis, especially in post independence India these cities, that were often the centre of intellectual and cultural life have been often forgotten in the narrative of of the nation. Seen as small provincial cities to be escaped from, these cities have been relegated to becoming footnotes in a story that is fascinated by the energy and possibilities that metropolitan life promises. The specific history and cultures of these cities have been forgotten, not only by the nation at large, but often even by the local communities themselves, who see no value in the buildings, streets and neighbourhoods that they see around them, and instead long for the promise of the metropolis. This imagination has led to the decline of the small town as an intellectual and cultural centre over the past 50 years.

The city of Allahabad is at the very tip of the Doab where two rivers Ganga and Jamuna meet- (and is said also to be the meeting point of a third river underground - the Saraswati. As a result this city has been one of the most important religious centres of the Hindu religion- being the site where the Kumbh mela is held every 4 years. Subsequent developments include the Mughal emperor Akbar establishing a fort and a larger settlement on the banks of the Yamuna. Later colonial development took place to the North of this older city separated by the railway line. This area is starkly different from the rest of the city. As an important colonial centre- the government of the time established all the important institutions of colonial government in the town- including a high court and a university. This made Allahabad an important intellectual and cultural centre for the region. With this, also came the rise of the middle class intellectuals who were to become the leaders of the nationalist movement that led to the freedom struggle of the nation. it was only in the post- independence era that Allahabad began to be marginalised as a centre of learning. Today, as we see dramatic increase in the urbanisation of the country, the city of Allahabad too is experiencing the pressures of sudden growth. This growth is often unregulated and is rarely mindful of the historical narrative that has given the city it’s unique character.

Study Trip Agenda

The Study Trip Documentation draws a transect across the history and geography of Allahabad documenting residential fabrics, institutional buildings and public spaces. This transect begins at the older settlement along the Ganga- Dara Gunj; and cuts along the Grand Trunk Road to the Mughal City and the older inner city fabric; continues through to the newer colonial city on the other side of the railway line and end westwards towards the Cantonment through the civil lines and northwards to Allahabad University.

The documentation was conducted in collaboration with the Guwahati College of Architecture between 9th November to the 16th of November 2014.